The Click and Grow smart garden system is a godsend for people like me. I love plants aesthetically, but a green thumb hasn’t been part of my anatomic design. If you have a similar situation and want to reduce your track record of murdered greenery, you might want to check out this clever invention by Mattias Lepp. Inspired by NASA’s successful attempts to grow plans in outer space, he managed to combine nanotechnology and software in a single planter, that tracks all necessary components for a plant’s healthy growth. All this complexity is meant to make your role extremely easy. Just power up the device with four AA batteries, add water and watch a healthy plant emerging from the perforated lid. Check out the video after the break to see the planter in action.

If you long for proper gardening, but the capacity of your apartment stifles this dream – you might want to take a look at this project. Urban Harvest Series by Netherlands based designer Sebastiaan Sennema is a compact unit that allows you to enjoy all essential gardening moments in a confined space. It includes an oak table for potting and preparation, a terracotta cooling tray for storing harvested produce, and a new, aesthetic take on the traditional “worm bin” for the natural composting of kitchen waste. The piece is also envisioned as a way of integrating nature and cultivating a consciousness of its mechanisms into our daily home life. “This unit is more than a possession; it’s a philosophy,” – designer says.

Here is a product that one could love for the design alone. Stufa urban gardening kit is a stylish and friendly taste of urban agriculture on a very mico level intended to get people thinking about growing something of their own. The kit includes three bags of certified natural seeds, enough for ten crops each, three reusable wood pot markers, and a visually stunning book with everything a novice kitchen gardener needs to know about planting, harvesting, and even cooking with recipes contributed by a renowned Portuguese chef. Instantly wishlisted!

Orto Volante suspension lamp, created by studio De-Signum for Italian brand Verde Profilo, is a interesting attempt to build an indoor garden without taking any counter space whatsoever. The piece incorporates ten white ceramic pots inside the powder coated steel lampshade (the hanging pots come with the special kit for upside down planting). I like the synergy between the elements – light helps the growing process and plants work as a defuser, helping to achieve more subtle illumination. A great idea for an urban kitchen.

Opot by Valencia based designer Clara del Portillo is a simple and attractive way to hang your greenery. The innovative material used for this project - DuPont Tyvek – allows both strength and flexibility. In its unfolded state these planters take as much space as a piece of paper. And thanks to their simple geometry and strategically placed eyelets – they create perfect hanging pots in seconds. Available for purchase here. (more…)

If you are an aspiring (or even accomplished) indoor gardener – this cool hydroponic system will delight you. Designed by Cristiana Favretto and Antonio Girardi of Studiomobile, the Re-Watering vertical garden allows you to grow your plans all year round. One of the neatest features of the project is the water-reusing technology. It rotates and filters water automatically, so the plants are being watered and the planet’s precious resource is being saved at the same time. The watering column and the three egg-shaped components are handmade from ceramic, a material that looks lovely next to any plant. And because the system is suspended from the ceiling, it takes no counter space – a godsend for small apartments. Check out the installation procedure after the break.

Indoor gardeners – rejoice! Someone had been thinking long and hard about your situation and came up with something rather delightful. The two Italian designers, Francesca Bonfrate and Alessandra Bove, that make up Bubble Design created an at-home gardening collection called Green Kit. The line is comprised of four different but equally useful items (see photos after the break): Invaso – a climbing plant support object, placed directly into the pot; Serravaso – a miniature greenhouse (in two sizes) that will create a perfect environment for plants to grow; Travaso – a clever and useful loose soil collecting surface, allowing your to easily poor the excess potting soil back into the pot; and Trifoglio – a modular climbing support wall that can also be used as a hanging divider (and you know how much I love hanging dividers). So there you have it – a perfect gardening quartet that will keep your green thumb occupied during all those long winter evenings.

London based studio JiB came up with this beautiful multifunctional item. The piece, called Credenza O, is divided between traditional storage a versatile area, that can be used in several different ways. The sunken top surface makes room for the ceramic pieces, handmade by a celebrated ceramist Sun Kim. These vases of various diameter can be used as planters (which is my favorite option), storage vessels or simply left alone as empty decorative objects. The furniture is hand crafted in a workshop in Britain.

Here is a noteworthy concept by French designer Clement Sarrodie – Botanic Hydroponic Furniture. In his attempt to introduce more greenery to the everyday life, Sarrodie designed three pieces of furniture for hydroponic plants. Each item allows us to grow our precious botanicals while creating a beautiful setting for them. Would be interesting to see these items produced.

These hanging planters by Art Terre, called Accessory #0, can be suspended from a metal rode and allow enjoy home greenery without cluttering precious counter space. Versatile and adaptable, they can be put in various configurations and used anywhere around the house. If you have a bar for hanging things from – you can attach these planters to it. Made from 100% Pévétex, a recycled and recyclable material harvested from automobile industry, Accessory #0 is durable enough to be used both indoors and outdoors. The adjustable straps allow customizing the planter exactly to the place it occupies. Beautiful.